• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.137-150
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• 2021

The rock-carved standing Buddha triad in Seoak-dong is a large stone Buddha statue of the Unified Silla era (AD 676 to 935) in ancient Korea, built near the top of the southeastern side of mountain Seondosan in Gyeongju, is characterized by its locational importance, the powerful Amitabha and the gentle sculptural technique of the Bodhisattva. In particular, Amitabha Buddha in andesite rock slope with biotite granite pedestal and two Bodhisattva parallel made by alkali granites seems to express the dignity through the color and texture of the stones. In the Amitabha Buddha, deterioration characteristics are accelerating due to the combination of various joint systems, instability of the slopes and relaxation by the root pressure of plants occurring at the top. In addition, physical properties have deteriorated owing to the increase of discontinuous surfaces as joints, cracks and scalings, and the coverage of algae and lichen is also high. Therefore, deterioration degree in Buddha triad is accelerated due to the physical weathering characteristics from natural rock mass and various biological invasion.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.74-93
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• 2019

The Bird Track Site in the Haman Formation in Yongsanri (Natural Monument No. 222) was reported on the named Koreanaornis hamanensis and Jindongornipes kimi sauropod footprint Brontopodus and ichnospecies Ochlichnus formed by Nematoda. This site has outstanding academic value because it is where the second-highest number of bird tracks have been reported in the world. However, only 25% of the site remains after being designated a natural monument in 1969. This is due to artificial damage caused by worldwide fame and quarrying for flat stone used in Korean floor heating systems. The Haman Formation, including this fossil site, has lithofacies showing reddish-grey siltstone and black shale, alternately. The boundary of the two rocks is progressive, and sedimentary structures like ripple marks and sun cracks can clearly be found. This site was divided into seven formations according to sedimentary sequences and structures. The results of a nondestructive deterioration evaluation showed that chemical and biological damage rates were very low for all formations. Also, physical damage displayed low rates with 0.49% on exfoliation, 0.04% on blistering, 0.28% on break-out; however, the joint crack index was high, 6.20. Additionally, efflorescence was observed on outcrops at the backside and the northwestern side. Physical properties measured by an indirect ultrasonic analysis were found to be moderately weathered (MW). Above all, the southeastern side was much fresher, though some areas around the column of protection facility appeared more weathered. Furthermore, five kinds of discontinuity surface can be found at this site, with the bedding plane showing the higher share. There is the possibility of toppling failure occurring at this site but stable on plane and wedge failure by means of stereographic projection. We concluded that the overall level of deterioration and stability were relatively fine. However, continuous monitoring and conservation treatment and management should be performed as situations such as the physicochemical weathering of the fossil layer, and the efflorescence of the mortar adjoining the protection facility's column appear to be challenging to control.

• 한국문화재보존과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.71-88
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• 2005

With biological organism brown pollutants layers are thickly formed on inner stone materials in Gyeongjuseokbinggo(Ice storage in Gyeongju). Some simples were taken from this layer and its chemical composition, mineral composition, salt and microstructures were analyzed. This study shows that the pollutants layer can be removed easily, because it attached softly in stone surface. But because of its serious weathering state the stone surface also can be removed during the removing process. The origins of brown layer are assumed to be the soil in the mound over the Seokbinggo and the coarse sandy soil in the entrance. For the preservation of the Seokbinggo Waterproof and replacement of the coarse sandy soil should take precedence over the remove works. Subsequently moistureproof works should be enforced.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.74-91
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• 2014

The stone statues in the site of Mireuksaji Temple(Iksan, South Korea) were created after the stone pagoda was built in 639. They, transitional statues between animal sculptures and human shaped statues made from the late Goryeo dynasty until the early Joseon dynasty, were set up at the four corners of the stone pagoda by way of guardians. In the case of three statues, their surfaces were denudated and their iconographies have been indiscernible. However, the one in the southwest clearly shows its iconography. It is inferior in properties to the other three statues in the northwest, the northeast and the southeast respectively, but on the other hand its iconography has been well maintained. The reason is related to exposure to harmful environments; specifically, the retaining wall, built around the stone pagoda in the 17th century, had the southwest statue inside and could naturally worked as a buffer against harmful environments. As a result, for about 400 years there has been difference in weathering conditions between the three stone statues and the southwest statue, which brought denudation, the consequent indiscernibleness of iconography and biological invasion to the three statues, notwithstanding superior properties(northwest statue:$176kgf/cm^2$, northeast statue:$109kgf/cm^2$, southeast statue:$273kgf/cm^2$). In contrast, the southwest statue significantly shows its iconography with black contaminants and granule decomposition, despite inferior properties($133kgf/cm^2$). Defenseless exposure to external environment is not recommended for the stone statues, because it is hard to preserve the extant iconography. Herein lies the application of the data on microclimate around Mireuksaji Temple. As regards the weathering zone in which the stone statues are located, Conservation increases in acidity and frequency as years go by, Hereat, in the approach to the Conservation of stone statues, the first consideration needs to be morphological historicity rather than geographical location.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.149-159
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• 2018

The Gyeongju Bunhwangsa Stone Brick Pagoda, which was built with bricks of andesite, is the oldest brick stone pagoda of Silla period. The damage patterns in the stone pagoda are pollutants such as white crust, black crust, discoloration, soil adsorption, and microorganisms, and repair materials. The damage pattern of structural factors in the Stone Brick Pagoda is a bulging phenomenon. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis, white crust are mainly consist of calcite ($CaCO_3$) and thermonatrite ($Na_2CO_3{\cdot}H_2O$) that evaporite finds in nature. Damage pattern varies depending on location of stone pagoda. The pollutants are first story body of pagoda. The microorganisms are confirmed at base, lion statues, first and second story capstone, and repair materials observed at base. The bulging phenomenon appeared on the first story body of the pagoda. Occupancy rates by damage type were higher in the order of microorganisms, pollutants, repair material, bulging phenomenon, and peeling. The highest percentage of individual damage patterns were black microorganisms (39.3%), followed by lichen (17.9%), discoloration (8.0%), white crust (5.5%), cement mortar (5.1%) and peeling (3.1%).

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.52-63
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• 2016

The Stupa of Buddhist Monk Soyo in Baegyangsa temple, Jangseong, was erected to pay a tribute to the achievement of the Buddhist monk Soyo, who worked for Baegyangsa temple as a chief monk, and is a bellshaped stupa with the detailed pattern of a Korean traditional buddhist bell. It is composed of pinkish-grey sandstone and the body of the stupa was damaged by longitudinal cracks on the front and back areas and the exfoliation caused break-out in the most part of the sculpture on the left and right areas. According to the ultrasonic test and infrared thermography analysis for physical deterioration diagnosis, most weathering aspects appeared on the body of the stupa and some exfoliated part that could not be seen with the naked eye was detected 6.1% and 5.9% on the left and right side respectively. Hyperspectral imaging analysis was also carried out to assess biological deterioration. According to the result, the surface of the stupa was covered 71.8 ~ 79.9% with vegetation like algae, lichen and moss. NDVI(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) was higher relatively on the bottom part near the ground, right and back areas of the stupa. Therefore conservation treatment for the exfoliated part and bio-deterioration is necessary and the environment condition needs to be fixed to prevent extra damages on the stupa.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 2008

Stone cultural heritages in Korea are mostly situated out door without any notable protection thus there are severe damage from chemical and biological weathering. This in turn, causes deformation and structural damage. To counter act this problem and to increase durability, various kinds of conservation materials are used in the conservation and restoration treatment. However, there are not many practical and technological experiment done on this subject. This paper attempts quantitative evaluation of effectiveness of ethylsilicate based resin for Namsan granite in Gyeongju. When two different materials with different ethylsilicate concentration were compared, the result indicated decrease of absorption and porosity with increase of ultrasonic velocities, uniaxial compressive strength, elastic constant, tensile strength and Poisson's ratio. In addition, comparison of physical characteristic of the conservation material resulted favorably toward ones with higher concentration of ethylsilicate. This is due to the ethylsilicates characteristic to fill the internal pores of stone. There is discolouration of stone surface after treatment with conservation material. This was more prominent with the product of higher ethylsilicate concentration.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.153-164
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• 2012

The major petroglyphs of Bangudae site were composed mainly of hornfelsed shale. Surface of the rock was formed weathering layer (average porosity 25%) that discriminated mineral and chemical composition against fresh rock (average porosity 0.4%). The lost area of major petroglyphs in the past up images carved to the present was calculated about 23.8%. And occurrence area of exfoliation indicated 1.2% of the whole petroglyphs. As a result of the chromaticity analysis, color of the major petroglyphs was changed brighter and yellower than fresh rock by chemical and biological weathering factors. Average ultrasonic velocity of petroglyphs was measured 2,865m/s. This result indicated that ultrasonic velocity decreased especially bottom of petroglyphs than measured result in 2003 year. The results of the evaluation for slope stability, it identified the possibility of toppling, planar and wedge failure in host rock. The 3D image analysis and modeling data of the cavern obtained for structural reinforcement.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.11 no.1 s.14
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• pp.15-27
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• 2002

The Buddhist Triad Cave in Gunwi, which consists of porphyritic biotite granite, has been deteriorated by a few weatherings. Origin of the weatherings is rain that can be leaked into the cave. Therefore the author investigates a few possible joints and bypasses leaking water, and reinforces any protective schemes for the rain influx. The porphyritic granite around the cave regularly develops two NEE and NWW joint sets. The NEE joint set could be divided into 4 joint zones among which $J_m\;and\;J_3$ may directly affect the leaking water into the cave. A extensional joint, in northern wall of the cave, runs through the $J_m$ joint zone. A small rain could rarely gets through the bypass, but a heavy rain has a good circulation through the joints to be leaked into the cave for a long time because of its long way. Many joints and cracks, in the ceiling near the cave entrance, immediately get to the $J_3$ joint zone, and have a good circulation of a small rain 10 mm. It is the desirable protective schemes that forbid rains to influx along the ranges from L -9 m to +10 m in the $J_m$ joint zone and upper half circle with radius 5 m in the $J_3$ joint zone. The joint apertures should be filled with a petro-epoxy and petro-filler to stop the water flow.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.163-171
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• 2024

Changes in the soil layer on Dokdo are important both academically and with regard to sustainable conservation and utilization of the islands. Continuous investigation and observation are necessary, as the soil layer is essential to the growth of plants and, therefore, the islands' ecosystem. Such work was carried out for about 8 years using soil erosion measuring bars, which are durable and facilitate simple monitoring of changes in the soil layer. Each bar comprised a rod measuring 30~50 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter, and the use of stainless steel afforded resistance to corrosion caused by sea breezes. Six measuring bars were installed in the soil layers of each of two islands, Dongdo and Seodo, and measurements were taken one to three times a year from 2014 to 2021. The field measurements indicate that soil was deposited on Dongdo but eroded on Seodo during the observation period. As the measuring bars on Dongdo were located in the central and lower parts of the island, the observed changes in the soil layer resulted mainly from sedimentation of material eroded by weathering or soil runoff from the upper part of the island. In contrast, the measurement locations on Seodo were located in the upper and central parts of the island, where soil erosion and runoff diminished the soil layer at the observation points.